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Get Specialized!


Target by Gregory Florez

As the practice of personal training matures, so too does the level of service that is available to prospective clients in environments such as commercial health clubs, corporate wellness centers and private homes.  In addition, the consumer is becoming more sophisticated, doing more research and expecting products and services to be tailored to them. This creates a real advantage to certified personal trainers who are positioned to provide focused service targeted toward specific client populations and disciplines.  Certification and education providers are responding to this evolution of the industry by creating ever-deepening levels of credentials and education to fitness professionals who aspire to focus their services. 

The focus on health and fitness worldwide is receiving more and more attention as we become less healthy and more stressed as a global population.   Becoming specialized can mean a huge boost to your practice, it can give you a competitive advantage, it allows you to reach your full potential to be a true leader in your market and you can fill a need to enhance the health and fitness of the general public.  This can mean a higher level of personal and professional satisfaction while providing a much greater chance of creating a long-term and fruitful career.

A few of the emerging areas of focus that are enjoying particular success in our industry include:
  • • Athletic conditioning for athletes of all sports
  • • Sport-specific athletic conditioning (e.g., golf, skiing, soccer, etc.)
  • • Functional training for aging baby boomers
  • • Mind/body training to help overly-stressed adults cope with a fast-paced culture that challenges their sleep, weight and overall health
  • • Lifestyle training to help manage time, get better sleep and protect quality of life
  • • Life coaching with an emphasis on particular populations
  • • Corporate health and wellness initiatives that target areas such as improved work performance, ergonomics and work-life balance
  • • Youth fitness training that combines elements of skill and fun
  • • Post-rehabilitation training for an aging population and other specific client groups
Each of the above areas contain enough critical mass of potential clients that it makes sense to consider selecting an area in which to concentrate your services as you position your career for the long term. 

How do I choose an area of focus?

Often as we become caught up in the mechanics of training clients, acquiring new ones and generally keeping up with business and life, we lose perspective of the areas in which we excel and also the vision of our true passions.  It can be a useful exercise to take some time to examine your practice and clients and ask yourself these questions:
  • • Which type of client seems to gravitate towards me?
  • • Are there specific areas or client types I seem to be more successful with?
  • • What type of training and skills do I really enjoy learning and using?
  • • Is my training style more geared toward a particular type or population?
  • • As I research a specialization, are there certificates, education and training available?
If you do this exercise, without distraction, you will intuitively begin to notice a pattern to who you truly aspire to become as a practitioner. I suggest journaling your thoughts as you do so.  Once you’ve determined your “area of focus,” look for continuing education programs and be sure to plan out your coursework to include pre-conference workshops, online courses and/or regional onsite training that support your area of specialization.  In some cases, you can also find specialty certificate programs through colleges and universities. Becoming specialized will fulfill your personal and professional needs, enhance the services you offer to clients and ultimately create the fuel for a long-term career as a fitness professional.

To search for continuing education programs in your desired area of specialization, visit the Continuing Education section of the ACE website.







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